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PESHAWAR, Apr 17 (APP):The Pakistan Academy of Letters has selected two books published by the Gandhara Hindko Academy for the prestigious National Literary Award 2023.
Dr Khawar Chaudhry’s Hindko poetry collection “Bujhna Dewa” has received the Sain Ahmad Ali Award, while Muhammad Akhtar Naeem’s Hindko travelogue “Qustuntuniya, Angoor Smyrna” has been honoured with the Khatir Ghaznavi Award.
This recognition comes despite the Gandhara Hindko Academy facing a financial crisis due to a lack of funding from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the past three years.
Established in 2015 under a public-private partnership between the Gandhara Hindko Board and the KP government, the academy has continued to operate through internal resources and self-support since the cessation of government funding after June 30, 2022.
Gandhara Hindko Board has been working since 1993 to preserve and promote the Hindko language and cultural heritage along with other Pakistani languages.
Operated on a self-help basis, the board has conducted research, published books including Hindko dictionaries and journals, held poetry recital sessions, and organized functions to raise awareness about the language’s importance.
The KP government established the Gandhara Hindko Academy in 2015 through a public-private partnership under the Annual Development Plan (ADP) scheme.
The responsibility of managing the academy was entrusted to the Gandhara Hindko Board, which utilized its prior experience to successfully carry out literary and cultural research, publish quality works, and organize literary conferences at district, provincial, national, and even international levels.
Despite its accomplishments over seven years, the academy was removed from the ADP scheme in 2022. Since July 2022, the board has been independently running the academy, focusing on self-sustainability in light of the government’s exit strategy.
For nearly three years, it has continued its literary and cultural mission without government support with the hope that the KP government will recognize the importance of Hindko which is the second most widely spoken language of KP and the sixth main regional language of the country.
Among its major achievements are the publication of over 400 books in and about Hindko and other Pakistani languages, covering poetry, prose, dictionaries, and historical works.
These include both classical Hindko literature and contemporary writings. The academy brings out literary magazines and journals, including those in other languages to reach wider audiences.
These include Hindko Adab, Hindkowan, Surkhail, Fatima, Taarey, Sargi Da Tara, Kotal Rang, The Gandhara Voice, Mother, Gomal Rang (Saraiki), Khwar Nama (Chitrali), Watan (Kohistani).